This article will talk about the probable XIs for both teams and continue with the Dream11 predictions and the winning fantasy team for the 1st game of the TNPL between the Lyca Kovai Kings and Salem Spartans that is scheduled to take place on the 19th of July 2021.
The 5th edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League(TNPL) will commence on the 19th of July from the iconic MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. The 1st game will take place between the inaugural champions Salem Spartans(formerly known as Tuti Patriots) led by Vijay Shankar and the Shahrukh Khan skippered Lyca Kovai Kings.
Match Details
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Pitch and Weather: The first part of the IPL 2021 was held in this same venue and the games proved to be low-scoring ones. The pitches offered assistance to the spinners and the bowlers who can slow down the pace. The TNPL may also see the same fate as all games are scheduled to happen at the same venue. The average score at this venue is likely to be around 150-160. Light rains are forecasted on the day but should clear up by evening. The temperature is expected to be around 31C.
Date and Time: July 19, 2021, 7.30 PM IST
Squads
The Salem Spartans have 2 players having experience in IPL, Vijay Shankar and Murugan. They will play an active part for the Spartans in the coming tournament along with G Periyasamy who was the player of the tournament in the last TNPL.
Similarly, Lyca Kovai Kings will largely rely upon its captain Shahrukh Khan to deliver in this TNPL. Other main players in the team include J Suresh Kumar, K Vignesh who have represented the TN side in domestic cricket.
Salem Spartans
B Praanesh, S Abishiek, Akshay V Srinivasan, Murugan Ashwin, S Boopalan, Daryl S Ferrario, M Ganesh Moorthi, Gopinath KH, TD Lokesh Raj, G Periyasamy, S Shubham Mehta, U Sushil, M Vijay Kumar, Vijay Shankar, Kishoor G, Aarif A, Suganesh M, Abhinav Vishnu, Rathnam AVR, R Karthikeyan, Washington Sundar.
Lyca Kovai Kings
P Shijit Chandran, J Suresh Kumar, J Gowjith Subash, K Vignesh, GR Manish, R Kavin, G Aravindh, V Ganga Sridhar Raju, U Mukilesh, Abhishek Tanwar, MA Atheeq Ur Rahman, N Selva Kumaran, Ashwin Venkataraman, B Sai Sudharsan, Nishanth Kumar Alwar, Shahrukh Khan, Srinivasan E, Thangarasu Natarajan, Kiran Kashyap, Yudheeswaran V, Anandakumar S, S Ajith Ram
Match Prediction
Both teams will are evenly matched in terms of ability but the Spartans have players who have represented in the top-level including IPL and for India. So they will start as slight favorites in this game.
Fantasy Tips
Batsman: Salem’s Akshay Srinivasan, K Gopinath, and D Ferrario can be the batsman selected for dream 11. Gopinath did well in the last edition of TNPL where he played for the Chennai-based team. Likewise, Srinivasan too had a great season last time around.
All-rounders: The captains from either team Vijay Shankar and Shahrukh Khan hold the key in the middle-order & also with the ball if required. They along with N Selva Kumaran who had a great tournament with the ball in 2019 can be picked as the all-rounder.
Wicket-keeper: J Suresh Kumar of Lyca can be picked as the wicket-keeper of the fantasy XI.
Bowlers: Murugan Ashwin and G Periasamy should be automatic picks in the fantasy XI due to their past exploits in the competition. K Vignesh who is a regular feature for TN in domestic cricket should be the 3rd bowling option.
Captaincy Choices
Fantasy Team: K Gopinath, Akshay Srinivasan, D Ferrario, Vijay Shankar, J Suresh Kumar, M Shahrukh Khan, Murugan Ashwin, G Periyasamy, K Vignesh, Yudheeswaran V
Captain: M Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh has been a match-winner for the stateside in the domestic competitions over the last few years. This earned him a contract with Punjab Kings in the IPL. He can be made the captain of the fantasy side.
Vice-Captain: Vijay Shankar
The all-rounder will want to make this TNPL a good one to boost his own confidence after having a disappointing IPL earlier this year. But for his abilities, he can be made the vice-captain.